


Batgirl: A Father's Love

by BatMoth30K



Category: Batgirl (Comics)
Genre: F/M, No Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-15 17:35:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29687517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BatMoth30K/pseuds/BatMoth30K
Summary: While Barbara Gordon is picking up her father for dinner, hoping to have a talk with him about the new man in her life, he's taken from his office by none other than Killer Moth! Her supervillain paramour/something complicated. Which complicates things. But why would Drury Walker potentially sabotage his relationship with Barbara by kidnapping her father?
Relationships: Batgirl/Killer Moth





	Batgirl: A Father's Love

**Author's Note:**

> Just another story I wrote for one of /co/'s BatMoth threads. No smut this time, but I had fun writing it.

Batgirl: A Father’s Love  
By BatMoth30K

“Hey Dad!” Barbara Gordon greeted her father with a peck on his cheek as she popped into his office.

It wasn’t the first time she’d snuck into the precinct. Nor will it be the last. But it’s been awhile since they’ve made plans for dinner, and she wanted to walk him to the restaurant. 

“Barbara. You’re early! It’ll be another twenty minutes, but after that, I’m all yours.” The Commissioner said, smiling fondly at her. 

It almost broke his heart how much she’s grown. Even though she’s reached her mid-twenties, Jim will always consider her his little girl. But even he had to admit, she was no longer a kid, and he was proud of how smart, sharp, and yes even beautiful she had become. It made him feel ancient. And while he keeps active, perhaps even too active for someone in his position, every passing year reminds him how much closer he is to his last. 

“Have you met Detective Beechen? He’s not much older than you, and is quite a terror in the octagon, I hear.” Jim gestured to the other man in the room. 

“He exaggerates. I do alright. How do you do?” The detective asked, hand extended. 

“I’m well. Thanks. May I have a moment with my dad please.” 

“Oh. Sure. No worries. We’ll talk later, Commish.”

And with a nod to his superior, the detective closed the door behind him. 

“I know what you’re going to say,” Jim interrupted Barbara before she could get a word out. “And I’m sorry. I know you’re old enough, and that you’ve probably been dating, even if you’re discreet about it. But you haven’t had anyone serious in forever. So is it so bad for your old man to give you a small nudge every now and then?”

“I’m perfectly fine picking my own dates, Dad. I don’t even have to use Tinder. I meet plenty of guys at school, and sparring at the gym. And when I meet one I like enough to maybe consider bringing home, I’ll tell you. Until then, just trust me. Okay?” Babs recited a speech she’s given in some form or another off and on since she’s graduated high school. 

“Barbara, I am getting on in years, and while I don’t want to rush you or anything, I do want to see you happy. If you ever change your mind, or need someone to talk to, give me a call. Please.” Her father pleaded. 

So that’s where I get those puppy dog eyes from, Babs sighed to herself. 

“Okay! Okay! As a matter of fact, that’s partly why I wanted to chat tonight. But it can wait over dinner.” 

“Well don’t leave me in suspense. We’ve still got fifteen minutes before I punch out, and we could use something to talk about for the walk. Talk to me, honey.” 

“Alright, you asked for it. Dad… how do you feel about me dating an older man?” She asked, running her fingers through a lock of her red hair. 

“...he’s not as old as me, is he? Because that would kind of defeat the purpose.” Jim joked, making Barbara smile. 

“No, dad. He’s not. He’s actually around the same age as Bruce Wayne. Maaaaaybe a bit older…”

“Oh. I see.”

“You aren’t disappointed or anything, right? It’s not too weird?” Babs asked, wincing that she may have overshared. 

“It’s just a bit unexpected. I was hoping for someone a bit younger, after all I want you to be well taken care of when I’m gone. But does he make you happy?” 

His brow was furrowed, but there was a half-smile tugging at his mustache. Barbara blushed, looking down with a smile, not believing she was telling her father this much. 

“He drives me absolutely crazy. He has this intensity about him that’s just magnetic. But at the same time he can be so damn goofy it’s hard to take him seriously. At all. I mean the things he wears sometimes, I’m almost ashamed to be seen in public with him. He is handsome though. And fit. We, um, met at the gym. We spar. A lot. And he has this amazing voice. I really like him, dad. But at the same time, I don’t see how it can last.” She sighed. 

“All you can do is see it through, Barb. You’re old enough to know your limits, and only you can decide if it’s worth it to pursue in the long run. But enjoy it while it lasts. And if, in the future, you feel certain about it enough take it all the way, well,” Jim breathed. “Jump in with both feet.”

Barbara could feel the strangest of smiles contorting her face. There was so much she wasn’t telling her father about him. Like the fact that her guy is a single dad. Or that he’s a criminal. A low-level supervillain even. Her first supervillain, and someone who’s even tried to kill him once. Dru had explained that the whole drowning him in a shipping container thing was merely a distraction to keep Batman busy while they got the ransom money, and she didn’t quite buy that considering Bruce Wayne was in the shipping container with her father. But Dru had no way of knowing that Batman couldn’t have come to the rescue in his usual fashion. 

It broke her heart to keep so much from her dad, but even though he was the commissioner of the strangest city on the planet, and has seen so much, from knights falling to heroes rising from the depths of the gutter; Barbara was still skeptical that her father would be able to be open-minded enough to tolerate, let alone accept her feelings for a criminal. And a career criminal at that. She had hoped a chat with her dad might help sort out her feelings. She didn’t know where it could go, or if there was even any such thing as a future for her and Dru. But she had hoped so, and that was a prospect that scared her more than facing the Joker. 

“Thanks dad.”

Barbara hugged her father tightly, burying her face in his chest, feeling his lips upon her brow. 

“So. What’s his name?” Jim asked. 

Babs was about to sputter to come up with a plausible alias for her lover when a droning buzz reached their ears through the wall. A familiar silhouette passed over the window, and Barbara only had enough time to pull her father behind his desk as a shadow blacked out the window, followed by an explosion that tore out the whole wall of his office. 

NO! She thought. It’s impossible! Not him! Why?!

“BARBARA, STAY DOWN!” her father shouted, drawing his service pistol. 

But a ball of liquid silk enveloped his weapon and his hand, gumming the action on his gun into uselessness. Followed by a sticky silk line that attached itself to his chest. Barbara gasped as a crackle of electricity made the rope of silk contract, and her father was pulled screaming to the sky. 

“DAD!!!” Barbara screamed, running afterwards, stopping at the edge.

She couldn’t believe her eyes. It really was him. 

“Dru.” She gasped. “No. GIVE HIM BACK YOU ASSHOLE!!!” 

But her scream went unanswered by the helmeted bug themed villain. Instead Killer Moth bound her father in half a cocoon, gazed at her for a second that stretched into eternity, and flew away with him into an alley down the street. Fifty officers swarmed Jim’s office, but Barbara was already gone, having taken a leap down to scale the wall of the building. Tricky in her boots and skirt, but she’s done parkour in heels before. She just needed to get to her motorcycle, and then there will be hell to pay. 

Despite the older man’s thrashing, Drury Walker didn’t have much trouble stuffing Jim into the back of the mothmobile. This was not the kind of impression he wanted to leave on Barbara’s father, but then there probably isn’t much he could do to make his opinion any worse. And now wasn’t the time to try and change that. Yet it was the sudden revving of the mothmobile’s engine that made Jim Gordon pause in his cursing like a sailor. 

“What’s your game, Moth? There will be a hundred officers here any minute. All you’re doing is making it easier for them to find us. Why not just surrender now?”

“It’s not the cops I’m waiting on.” Dru answered, revving the engine of his muscle car as loud as he could. “Believe me Gordon, if I had any other choice, I’d stick to running interference for bank robbers and costumes. But you’d probably understand, you’re a father. With a very beautiful daughter.”

“IF YOU SO MUCH AS LOOK AT HER, I WILL END YOU!” Jim screamed. 

“See? You do understand,” Walker replied, continuing his revving. “A father would do anything to protect his daughter.” 

“What are you on about?!”

“You’ll find out soon. I really am sorry, Gordon. Oh. Here she comes.”

Staring daggers at him through his windshield from across the street was a costumed redhead on a motorcycle. His girlfriend. His lover. His nemesis. And she would probably kill him if she got her hands on him at this moment. He just has to get her close enough, while still putting up a good chase. Impossible. But with everything at stake, he had no other choice. Peeling out in the alley to alert any cars in the street ahead of him, Walker put the car into gear and hit the gas, surging forward and taking a hard turn, just narrowly avoiding a pair of tire killing razors from the batcycle. 

The mothmobile had amazing acceleration for its size, but Barbara kept pace on her batcycle, dodging through traffic as Walker surged ahead. He barreled through red lights without care, clipping the odd car, giving her spun out vehicles to weave around and leap over as he drove through the city like a bull in a china shop. She gasped as the mothmobile leaped down a steep hill, sparks flying as it scraped a landing. Barbara had never seen Dru drive like this, even with Batman on his tail. But if he keeps this up, he’ll end up killing someone, or himself. And her dad. 

Dru’s car shoulder checked it’s way through an on-ramp at the highway, heading for the old industrial district. Nothing there but high priced bars, cheap apartments, warehouses, shuttered factories, drug houses. Black Mask territory. She had to stop him before he reached his destination. Killer Moth had taken his share of jobs for the mob, but there was no reason for him to go this far for Black Mask. 

Rush hour had come and gone, but there were still enough cars to make the next part of Walker’s plan tricky. He set the coordinates on the console, and flicked the ejection charges on the driver side door, sending the armor plated piece of his car flying behind him. Babs ducked, swearing it shaved off a piece of her bat ears as it passed over her, but kept up the chase, closing in on Walker and her dad. 

“GORDON! DON’T MOVE FROM THERE!” Walker cried into the backseat, pressing a button on the console. 

He didn’t hear Jim’s reply in the wailing wind of their speed, but it was just as well. His face said just about every expletive in existence on it’s own. The car surged forward, and Walker grasped the roll cage, climbing onto the roof. Just in time to see Barbara ride up behind them. Standing on her bike, she shot out a grapnel line, piercing the roof of the mothmobile, zipping up with a kick that sent Walker falling over the hood of the car. Batgirl was on him in an instant, her fists pummeling Killer Moth with all of the might she could muster while being whipped at by 90mph winds. 

Tears were streaming from her eyes, and she was screaming at him. But he had to make the moment count. Grasping the collar of her cape, Walker opened his helmet and pulled her face down to his, shouting what he couldn’t say over the phone or in the open air. 

“HE HAS KITTEN! I CAN’T LET HIM TAKE HER! I’M SORRY, BARBARA, BUT TRUST ME! I LOVE YOU!”

The last three words stunned Batgirl long enough for Walker to kiss her. One she briefly returned, realizing the what, and the why. But before she could process it fully, Walker broke the kiss to look through the windshield, her gaze following to see Jim Gordon had somehow managed to wriggle himself into the driver’s seat, his hand poking through his silken bonds trying to wrest control of the wheel from the autopilot. And he was looking right at her in absolute shock. 

Barbara felt her heart break, seeing the flurry of emotion on her father's face. And before she could recover, Killer Moth had drawn his cocoon gun and shot her with a silk line, slinging the other end to an overhead sign. She was pulled off of the mothmobile, a crackle of electricity drawing her in as she bungeed, killing her momentum as the silk contracted. Constrictor silk. There was a trick she hadn’t expected from him, and one she was completely unprepared for. 

Batgirl watched as the mothmobile sped down the highway, but she already had her batcycle’s GPS set to track her dad’s phone. And while she swung under the sign, still trying to process everything that happened, her faithful steed came to a stop underneath her, emergency lights flickering, it’s horn tooting as it awaited her return. 

Swallowing her pride and her fears, Barbara steeled herself for the task at hand. She cut herself free, dropping down to the highway, and felt something poking at her neck under her collar. A matchbook? I thought everyone vaped nowadays, Barbara thought idly, turning it over. “Kurokamen Distillery”. Could Black Mask pick any more transparent of a name for a front company? 

“I trust you,” Barbara breathed, thinking of Dru. “But if anything happens to my dad, we’re over.”

With Batgirl off of his tail, Drury Walker took the scenic route, leaving the highway to take the back alleys and side streets to the distillery. The streets could be swarming with cops any second, and he saw the searchlights of choppers in the distance. He didn’t have much time to deliver Gordon to Black Mask, but he took all he could spare. Timing was going to be tricky if any of this was to work, assuming it will work at all. But he had faith. In Barbara if nothing else. 

Jim wasn’t too pleased with being literally booted to the passenger seat, but Drury couldn’t afford to be gentle. Gordon wasn’t some doddering old fool, as much as people in his circle like to think. And while the prime years of his life were far behind in the distance, he was still very capable as a cop. Another blast of silk secured his free hand, and as tempted as he was to cocoon his mouth, Black Mask is going to want him talking. And Dru was starting to like how creative Jim could get with his profanities. 

Seeing a searchlight overhead, Dru took a turn cursing himself, and pulled under an overpass, waiting for the police chopper to move on. 

“There’s not going to be any escape for you after this.” Jim warned. “What you said back at the alley, about a father doing anything for his daughter. You were talking about yourself. If Black Mask has your child, then for god sakes man! Work with me! GCPD has a SWAT unit, hostage negotiators! I could call in the goddamn Batman if that’s what it takes!”

“Black Mask would kill her if he saw the signal. He was very clear about that. You were just a snatch and grab, how to do it was my business, and I wasn’t given time to plan anything subtle. What does that tell you, Gordon? He knows you’re up to something. He knows you’re getting too close, and his snitches aren’t able to tell him anything. Whatever operation you have going on now is in danger, and calling in the swat unit for my little girl would just make her a liability to them. And as for the Bat, well, I already have one on the line, so to speak. If she ever manages to get herself down from that highway sign.”

“You kissed her.” Jim observed, gravel in his voice. 

Walker laughed. 

“I’m probably not going to live through the night, it seemed like a good idea at the time.” Dru said, hoping to take some heat off of Barbara. “Maybe in another life, if I were a better man, I could match with her on Tinder. Right now, I’m just going to deliver you to Black Mask, take my girl home, and whether or not Batgirl manages to save you is out of my hands. I hope she does. If nothing else, I’ll at least have the satisfaction of having her take care of Black Mask.”

“You’re playing a dangerous game, Moth.” 

“It’s a dangerous life, Gordon. Time to move on.” Walker replied, seeing the chopper fly off. 

He kept one eye on the rooftops as he pulled in through the gates of the distillery. No pointy bat ears, no grapnel lines. No capes. His heart sank just a little, but turned to steel as soon as he saw a pair of Black Masks’ guys wave him towards the back. Time to put the game face on. The helmet helped. He stopped the Mothmobile in back, and seeing two more of Sionis' goons, he stepped one foot out of his car. 

"Where's my girl? Tell Black Mask if I don't have her this second, he's not going to get shit from Gordon after I blow his head off." 

"Keep yer striped tights on, bugman. Boss is inside, your little brat is safe, and as soon as you personally deliver Gordon to him, she'll be free to go. Besides, after the stunt you pulled today, he wants to talk business with you."

"Then it better be worth my while. I don't take threats to my family lightly. And my time is expensive."

Dragging Gordon out of the car, Walker marched him into the building, one hand on his shoulder, the other on the cocoon gun. He was led to a corner of the distillery that was converted into a torture studio, complete with Barber's chair, a tray of instruments, a boombox, even mood lighting. It was all very cinematic, but Walker's pulse skipped when he saw his Kitten standing behind the chair, with Black Mask's hand on her shoulder. 

"Killer fucking Moth," Sionis growled. "You caused quite a shitstorm at GCPD. You even lost The Batgirl. I. Am. Impressed."

"I aim to fucking please, dickhead. I have Gordon. Let my daughter go, and he's all yours." 

"Such Language. And in front of your own child. She was never in any danger, Moth Man. Take her. But I want a word before you go."

Taking his hand off her shoulder, Kitten sprang into her father's arms, and after a brief hug, Walker thrusted the keys to the Mothmobile in her hand, having discreetly tucked a cocoon pistol up the back of her shirt. 

"Kitten, take the car. Plan E. Do you understand?"

"Yes daddy." She murmured, sniffling. 

"Good girl. Get to safety. I'll finish up here." 

"Johnny. Make sure the girl gets to her car alright now." Sionis orders. 

Kitten ran ahead, not waiting for her escort. If all goes to plan, Johnny is going to get a face full of cocoon. And Kitten will be halfway to one of Walker's safehouses within twenty minutes. Just enough time to finish up here. Black Mask waved to another one of his guys, who made a move to take Gordon, only to be threatened by Walker's cocoon gun. 

"Oh no. Not yet. As soon as Kitten texts me she's okay, then I will turn over Gordon." 

"Such distrust, boys. You insult me, bug. Have I not honored my end of the deal?" 

"Your word doesn't mean much since you stole her off in the first place." 

"Hey, fuck you Moth!" One of the masked gangsters shouted, drawing his gun. 

Walker's weapon was already up and out, and a shot of constrictor silk, followed by a hundred volts, crushed the man's fingers against the steel frame of the gun. Walker gave it another zap, making the glob of silk squeeze harder, bones snapping so loudly even Gordon winced, the gangster falling to the ground rolling in agony. 

"Slim, get Tully to the doc. I think he may have to amputate." Sionis ordered passionlessly. "Okay! You've made your point, Killer Moth. I wasn't expecting much, but you have proven yourself quite an asset. You're too valuable now to stay a free agent." 

"Cut the bullshit, Sionis. This was a one-time deal, and you'll be lucky if I only cripple one of your boys tonight. You could have just paid me in the first place." 

"And I still intend to. Only you'll earn the rate I give you. Do the jobs I send you on. Protect the boys I need protecting. And if there's any competition that needs taken care of, you seem more than capable of that. And not only will I pay you, I'll even promise to leave that darling little girl of yours alone. So what do you say?"

"You aren't giving me much of a choice there, Mask." Walker noted, reading the text that scrolled across the inside of his helmet's HUD. 

Kitten Safe. Duck in twenty. <3 Babs. 

"It's the best offer you'll get, Moth. Now. Put Gordon in the chair. And prove you're worth what you say you are." Sionis ordered, drawing a gun. 

"Brace yourself." Walker whispered harshly to Gordon, who only managed a "What?" Before the lights went out. 

Guns went off, but Walker had already pulled Jim into a dive, out of the line of fire. He closed his eyes as the flashbangs went off around them, and he heard screams as Batarangs found their marks, and gangsters went flying into the ceiling on grapnel lines. Sionis made a break for it, running between the industrial tanks along the far wall, and Walker followed, certain Gordon was safe in Barbara's care. She ran to her dad, and broke open a handful of dissolution pellets from her utility belt to dissolve the silk. 

"I'll be fine! Walker has a little girl, she was a hostage!" Jim shouted. 

"She's safe, commissioner. I made sure of it." Batgirl informed him. 

"Then go after them! I've got things here." He declared, resetting his gun now that it was cleared of silk.

Barbara frowned to herself as her father went about disarming and securing the gangsters she'd disabled, and he pulled out his phone to call GCPD, already on the way thanks to a call she made outside. But he's right. He's more than capable of securing things here while she helps Walker with Black Mask. Drawing another batarang from her belt, she ran off into the last direction she saw them headed. 

Sionis was halfway to the garage when his feet were trapped in place by well aimed silk shots. Turning as much as he could, he cried out to Walker who was stalking up behind him. 

"Wait! Wait! Don't!" 

But Drury was in no mood to listen. He fired a steady stream as he walked around Black Mask, wrapping Sionis from head to toe, the cocoon leaving only his skull-like facade visible. Now completely at the Moth's mercy, Black Mask resorted to threats. 

"Walker! Get me out of this or I swear to god your daughter will be flayed alive!" 

"See that was your first mistake. And now, it will be your last."

With a line still leading off from his cocoon gun, Walker hit the electronic trigger, activating the constrictor silk he had wrapped up Black Mask in. Sionis' scream sent Barbara running, and she skidded to a stop when she saw Killer Moth hitting him with a higher voltage. Bones snapped, joints popped as the silk tightened around him, and Barbara shouted from behind Black Mask. 

"Walker, stop it! Don't kill him, please! Kitten needs her father, don't make me arrest you." 

At first, Walker paid no heed, zapping Sionis again. But as the silk began crushing the ruthless mobster in earnest, Walker looked past him, seeing Batgirl silently crying, mouthing three words that she dare not say in the presence of Black Mask. Sionis shrieked in agony, and as the mask on his face fractured, Walker cut the line and threw a handful of dissolution pellets at him. 

Barbara let out the breath she was holding as Sionis collapsed into a barely recognizable pile of flesh and shattered bone. The silk released its hold on him, dripping away, but left its mark. Black Mask's trademark mask was now shattered, the jaw hanging loosely, limbs sticking out at odd angles from his body. But he wheezed and gasped. With practically every bone in his body broken. But he lived. Barely. 

More of his boys arrived, weapons drawn, surrounding Dru and Barbara. 

"You're going to pay for that, Moth Man." 

"Son, if you don't put down that gun this second, I'm going to do you just like I did your boss. And that goes for the rest of you." Walker warned, pointing his cocoon gun at the one that spoke. 

The guy looked as though he might test him for a second. But Black Mask, or what was left of him, took in a painful wheezing breath, trying to cough out an order, only to exhale painfully, ineffectively whining with his throat. After examining the crumpled mass of flesh that was once their boss, guns and masks were placed carefully on the floor as hands came up. Barbara zip tied each one while Walker covered her, and when she was done, he powered up his wings, nodding to her. 

"Spread the word." Walker told the assembled criminals. "You do not FUCK with Killer Moth or his family! And as of now, my prices have tripled." 

"Walker, freeze!" Shouted Commissioner Gordon, having rejoined them. 

Rather than obey, Killer Moth flew up and out of the skylight overhead, shattering the glass, and buzzing off into the distance. 

"Commissioner! Are you alright?" Batgirl asked, fighting the temptation to hug her father in relief. 

"I've had worse days. What about you, why didn't you stop him?" Jim asked, pointing to the shattered skylight. 

"I- uh- well…" Barbara sputtered. "We can catch Killer Moth another day. I think Black Mask is the more pressing opportunity here, Sir." 

As officers of the GCPD swarmed the room, taking custody of the gang, Jim sighed, and pulled Batgirl aside for a moment of privacy. 

"Batgirl… I know Batman looks the other way as long as Catwoman keeps her claws relatively clean. I don't have that luxury. Walker might be a loser, and barely a step above a henchman, but I think tonight proves he can be dangerous. Maybe I'm being patronizing, I've had words with Batman over his negligence, but you- I guess I thought you were the one bat with their head on straight." He sighed. 

"Commissioner, I have no idea what you're referring to. He kissed me, but considering the circumstances he was trying to get my attention so he could rescue his daughter. Rest assured, I can handle my own personal affairs otherwise. If you're looking to add a sexual harassment charge to his case, I'm personally willing to let it slide considering the circumstances." Barbara explained, hoping he'd buy it. 

Jim simply looked at her from over his glasses. 

"I may have left my badge in my other coat, but I do have eyes, Batgirl. Four of them, even. I can make observations, like how while he hasn't treated you with kid gloves when you've fought, tonight was the most violent Killer Moth has been in years. How he's focused more on helping small time crime than doing jobs for the more prestigious psychopaths of late. Even patterns with times he's eluded capture have coincided with the night's you've foiled his crimes. I'm not going to pry any further, but I want you to know, I have my concerns. For as little as that may be worth to you." 

"Duly noted. Sir." Batgirl replied, her heart thundering in her chest. 

"Good. Now I'd better call my Barbara. Her face is probably looking as tear streaked as yours is right now." Jim said, handing her a handkerchief. 

"I'm sure she's just fine. It looks like GCPD has things well in hand here. Excuse me." 

And with that, Barbara swung out the skylight overhead with her grapnel gun, landing on the roof just in time to answer her phone. 

"Dad! Tell me you're safe! I saw Batgirl swing after you, but I was so worried!" 

"It's alright, Barbara. I may have gotten an unexpected spa wrap thanks to that Moth fellow, but we settled a hostage situation, and they took down Black Mask. I'll be a few hours, but I'm safe. Are you okay? Were you hurt in any way?" Jim asked over the phone. 

"Just a little ringing in my ears." And a little ache in my heart, Barbara thought to herself. "Dad, I'm going to wait for you. When you're done, coffee and a short stack are on me. Even at 3am, okay?" 

"Okay. I'll settle things here, but I will give you a call. I love you, baby." Jim said. 

"I love you too, dad. Bye." Barbara said back, hanging up the phone with a sigh. 

"Looks like I'm in good company when it comes to worrying about you." Walker called from behind her. 

"Dru!"

His helmet was off, sweat pouring down his face, hair matted, but she wrapped her arms around him and squeezed, nuzzling herself into his neck. 

"You arrogant, reckless, impossible, irresponsible, insane, JACKASS!" Barbara cried, punctuating each word with her fist against his chest. 

She gasped when Walker took hold of her, murmuring a quick "No!" When his lips found hers. Then surrendered to the moment, to him, to her feelings. To her own heart as she embraced him fully. 

"I love you." She breathed when he broke their kiss. 

"I know." He replied into her hair. 

"I love you, I love you, I love you," She repeated into his chest, her eyes closed tightly. 

"Barbara." 

She looked up at him. 

"Look at me when you tell me." 

Shaking her gloves off, she slicked her fingers through his sweat soaked hair, lifting herself on tiptoe for him to gaze down into her eyes.

"I love you, Drury Walker."

"It took you this long to say it, Babs?" He smiled, holding her tightly. 

"I'll say it as often as possible now." 

She lost count of how many heartbeats passed between them in their embrace. And she knew in that moment what he was feeling. Love. Desire. Need. Want. And an as yet unspoken necessity that they cannot ignore any longer. She didn't want him to say it, didn't want to admit what was coming. She wanted to stay there on that roof, wrapped in his arms, his heart beating against hers for eternity. 

But eventually he drew her back. He looked her in the eye. And as her heart shattered, he said the words she was dreading to hear as soon as she knew Kitten was taken hostage. 

"I can't stay." 

"I know." Barbara breathed, tears streaming freely from her eyes. 

"Kitten's not going to be safe now. I need to-" 

"I know, Killer." Barbara said, pecking him on the lips. "You'll have to lay low. For how long?"

"Six months. A year. Maybe more." Walker answered, Barbara's heart fracturing further with each word. "Kitten should have caught an uber to the airport by now. I've arranged an alibi, officially we took a flight yesterday. The TSA gave me a patdown courtesy of a lovely woman named Gerta." 

Babs smiled bitterly. 

"And tonight?" 

"Tonight we'll be off to Heathrow. Then Paris. From there, who knows? But listen to me, Barbara-"

"No." 

"There's already a ticket for you at the counter. Your flight leaves in four days."

"No." 

"Four days and you'll join us in Paris. I'll be honest, it's smelly and dreary, and dreadful this time of year. 'Ennui' was invented there for a reason. But-" 

"No, Killer. You know I can't go with you." 

"I know." Walker sighed. "But I'm hoping by some miracle you do. Ticket will be there, even if you aren't. And you know how to find me. You can always catch up." 

"I'll see you again. Maybe. But I do love you, Drury Walker. You won't forget me?" Babs asked. 

“Never, Barbara. My beloved Batgirl.” 

He gave her one final long and lingering kiss and held her as if it would be their last. Her hand only slipping from his when his wings drew him away into the night. 

I’m going to have to buy Dad a new handkerchief, Babs thought idly as she ruined the one Jim handed her earlier. 

***

Babs waited for Jim at their usual late night diner, already on her second cup of coffee. When her father came in through the door, she was on him in a flash, wrapping him in a tight hug that surprised him. 

“Were you really that worried about me, Barb?” he asked. 

“Let’s just say seeing you carried away into the sky by a bug man is not something I want to witness everyday.” She smiled. 

“It’ll take more than Killer Moth to put down your old man, dear. And I find myself surprised by him.”

“Oh? In what way?” Babs asked as they sat at her booth. 

“He might be a career criminal, and might even be a dangerous one. But he’s a father. Someone that would do anything for his daughter. Granted, taken to an extreme, that could be a nightmare. But it’s strange to find some common ground with someone like him.” Jim revealed, placing his hand on Barbara’s. “I feel I never tell you enough how proud I am of you.”

“I don’t mind hearing it. Though you do say it quite often.” Babs replied, a rueful smile on her lips. 

“Is something wrong, dear?”

“Hm? No, nothing. You’re safe, that’s all I care about now.”

“Then let’s talk about something other than bug men and gangsters. Tell me more about this guy of yours, do you think it’ll be serious enough for me to meet him eventually?” 

Barbara genuinely didn’t know if she should laugh hysterically or burst into tears. She settled on blinking those tears away, and sniffling, pouring Jim a cup of coffee. 

“Yeah. About him. See, that was something else I wanted to talk to you about. You see dad, he- he got a job. In Europe. And he has to leave suddenly.” 

"Oh. Baby, I'm sorry to hear that." 

"I honestly don't know what I was thinking. I mean, yeah, we share a lot of interests and hobbies, and he makes me smile. And I felt a strange sort of comfort with him. I should have known it was too good to last." She admitted, laying her head down on her arm. "Dad, do you think two people who have no business being together can overcome all odds?"

"If they're the right people. If there's love there. Is there?" Jim asked, squeezing her hand. 

"Yes." Barbara admitted, squeezing back. "But love isn't everything. We have jobs, obligations, responsibilities. People. With everything pulling us apart, how can there be any hope?"

"If there's love, there's always hope, Barbara. You just have to hang on, whether by hand or by heart. The world, as big as it is, is a lot smaller than it used to be. Europe is only a video call or a flight away. There's more than one way to keep in touch these days, and so long as you're true to your heart, Barbara Gordon, it will never lead you astray."

"I dunno, dad. Love has historically made people do crazy things." 

"Obsession, maybe. Madness, certainly. But love? I guess, sometimes." Jim admitted. "But isn't it worth it? Sometimes?" 

"Sometimes." Barbara smiled, dabbing at her eyes with a napkin. "Thanks dad." 

***

Four days later and Barbara Gordon was sitting on her motorcycle, her helmet hanging off the handle bars as a makeshift picnic basket holding a half-eaten croissant sandwich. In one hand was her iced coffee. The other, her passport and her printed boarding pass. She has an hour to make up her mind, before it'd take too long to get through security to board her flight. She didn't know why she printed the damn thing. She didn't know why she dug her passport out from the back of her desk drawer. She didn't know why she wasn't thinking about it until now. She didn't even have a carry-on. 

She could call Dinah. She has a key to her apartment, Dick could help her move things into storage for her if need be. Or she could just come back within the month, make arrangements for her rent while she visited. It shouldn't take her too long to track down Walker, and while Kitten will be a royal pain in the ass, the nights will belong to her and Dru. And damn it, she deserved a vacation! Even if Walker was right about ennui being invented in Paris, they'll be together. What else could she need? 

Already feeling jittery from the triple shot of espresso in her drink, Babs took another sip, another bite of her sandwich, and sighed. She should call dad. He would talk her down from doing something this stupid, this impulsive. Right? But then Gotham would be just fine without her, there was Bruce, Dick, Tim, Damian, the birds, and others. What's one Batgirl? She isn't even the best fighter, the best detective, or even all that close to any of them. She was just… there. What use could she possibly be that isn't fulfilled, and better in some way, by someone else already? 

Then she saw it. A young woman taking a shortcut through an alley. A hooded man, tattoos, a thin junkie's frame, and a knife clipped to his belt, moving with purpose after her. The hollowness in his eyes devoid of any purpose than his next fix. Was this your answer then, Gotham? There may be others, and betters. But for better or worse, there's Batgirl. Because she is there. 

"I do love you, Dru," she thought to herself, stuffing the passport and half wrapped sandwich into her jacket pocket. "But I wouldn't be the Barbara you love if I weren't also your beloved Batgirl." 

Tapping the crumbs free from her helmet, Babs clapped it on her head, revved her engine, and drove off into the alley with a heart that ached with purpose.


End file.
